2011 Global Top 10 Weather/Climate Events

2011 Global Top Ten List

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Event

When Occurred

Event Description

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?1

Drought, eastern Africa

Throughout 2011

Drought in Horn of Africa including Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, and Djibouti was one of the worst in decades. Estimated 10-11 million people affected. Famine was declared in parts of Somalia for first time since 1992.

2011 began the year in the midst of a relatively strong and lasting La Nina. It weakened into an ENSO-neutral state (by NOAA's metrics) by mid-year. However, by year's end, La Nina had re-established itself. Many climate outcomes in 2011 were consistent with those expected during La Nina.

Tropical Storm Washi struck the southern Philippine island of Mindanao and killed at least 1,250 people. Initial damages were estimated at nearly $23 million US dollars. Between 1978 and 2010, only 15 tropical cyclones occurred in this (Western Pacific) basin during December and only two made landfall.

The 2011 minimum sea ice extent (9 September, 4.33 million square km) was the second smallest (to 2007) of the satellite era. The five smallest Arctic ice extents have occurred in the past five years (2007-2011). The September Arctic sea ice volume (which incorporates extent and thickness) was the smallest on record.

Unusually heavy rains killed at least 425 people across Colombia and caused billions of dollars in damages. Three million people were affected. Colombia received at least 5 times the average rainfall for the season.

Drought that began in late 2010 worsened throughout 2011, particularly across northern and central Mexico. By late October, more than half the country was in severe to exceptional drought, considered Mexico's worst drought in 70 years. Initial estimates: 2.5 million people affected, 2.2 million acres of cropland destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of livestock lost.

Much of Central and Eastern Europe experienced major drought conditions in autumn. Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic each had their driest November on record. Many locations on the Danube fell to record low levels. In some areas, shipping was forced to a halt due to shallow waters. Unexploded bombs resurfaced in several rivers after being underwater since World War II

2011 Global Honorable Mention

Event

When Occurred

Event Description

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China Floods

mid-September

A week of heavy rains led to at least 57 deaths and affected 12.3 million residents in the southwestern and central provinces of Sichuan, Henan, and Shaanxi. Floods expected to be the worst in Sichuan since records began in 1847. Economic damages estimated at $27 billion U.S. dollars.

An Antarctic polar blast brought frigid temperatures and rare snowfall on August 14th-16th to parts of New Zealand that are not accustomed to this extreme type of weather. On the North Island, the country's largest city of Auckland saw its first snowfall since 1939 and recorded its all-time lowest maximum temperature of 8.2 degrees C (47.8 degrees F) on August 15th. A New Zealand MetService forecaster described the harsh weather as a "once-in-a-50-year" event for the South Pacific island nation.

In 2011 the global tropical cyclone activity was well below average for a second consecutive year. All of the basins, with the exception of the Atlantic Basin, experienced below average activity. The Atlantic Basin had above-average activity with 19 tropical storms, 7 strengthening to hurricane and 3 becoming major hurricanes.

Heavy monsoonal rains in eastern Sri Lanka the first two weeks of 2011 were the heaviest to occur over such a short period of time, on record, causing widespread flooding across the island nation. The heavy rains began in December, with the city of Batticaloa, receiving 63 inches (1.6 meters) of rain between December 1st, 2010 and January 12th, 2011. Over one million people were displaced due to the flooding - more than during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Media reports claim that 40 were killed due to the flood waters.

Between February 11th and 14th, a strong storm grazed the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula, dropping over 3 feet (91 cm) of snow. Samcheok, South Korea measured 39 inches of snow (100 cm), the largest storm accumulation measured in South Korea since records began in 1911. It was reported that one rural town received 31.5 inches (80 cm) of snow in 24 hours - potentially a new South Korean record for snowfall in a single day. Property damages were estimated at 4.3 million U.S. dollars.

Monsoonal flooding in southern Pakistan's Sindh province killed almost 350 people, destroyed or damaged approximately 1 million homes, 4.2 million acres of cropland, and affected about 75.7 million people.

Two separate storm systems brought widespread flooding and landslides, which killed at least 105 people across Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. One million people were affected.

?Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi February 3, 2011 Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi hit northern Queensland. Landfalling wind gusts were as high as 177 mph. Damages exceeded 1 billion U.S. dollars. Yasi was the most intense system at landfall on the east coast of Australia since at least 1918. February Global Hazards Report